Gravity-propelled vehicle



R. B. BROWN. GRAVITY PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 27,1919.

'R. B. BROWN.

GRAVITY PROPELLED VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-271 1919.

1,332, 18 5. Pathted eb. 24,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- HTT ! TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. BROWN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO MARCUS FREDRICK AND ONE-THIRD TO ARTHUR WEINGARTEN, BOTH OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GRAVITY-PROPELLED VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb.'24, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT B. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new Improvement in Gravity-Propelled Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gravity propelled vehicles wherein a pair of pedals operate in conjunction with a pair of pawls and ratchets to propel the vehicle.

' The present invention has for its primary object the provision of what is known among boys as a scooter. having means for being propelled by gravity actuated through the weight of the operator.

In the present state of the art scooters are made by providing a body with suitable supporting wheels, upon which body the operator supports his weight with one foot and uses the other foot for propulsion.

The present invention provides a pair of foot. supporting pedals pivotally mounted upon a body and each provided with an independent driving connection to one of the rear wheels and means for normally raising the pedals so that by alternately shifting his weight from one pedal to the other, an

operator may propel the vehicle with his weight.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described wherein a simple and effective drivin connection may be had between the peda s and the rear wheels, without the use of gear trains and the like.

A further object is the provision of improved means for automatically disconnecting the driving connections during the upward stroke of the pedals and to automatically renew engagement of the driving connection with the wheels during a downward stroke of the pedals.

I accomplish these several features by means of the device disclosed in the drawing forming a part of the present specification wherein like characters of referencev are used to designate similar parts throughout the said specification and drawings, and in which- Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of my improved device with the near rear wheel removed.

Fig. 2 is a broken plan View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a broken detailed sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. l and viewed in the direction indicated.

Fig. 4 is a broken detailed plan view of one of the rear wheel hangers.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a broken sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction indicated.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 is used to designate a suitable body pr vided with upwardly extending hangers 2 within which are rotatably mounted axles 3 having rear wheels 4 secured to one end thplreof and ratchets 6 secured to the other en s.

A front supporting wheel 7 is rotatably mounted within a suitable standard 8 pivotally mounted as at 9 to a vertically disposed member 11 secured to the approximate center of the front of the body portion 1.

Pedals 12 are pivotally mounted as at 14: to suitable straps 16 mounted between the front end of the body 1 and the member 11 thereon.

The pedals 12 extend rearwardly toward the rear wheels 4 and have multi-toothed pawl sectors or racks 17 pivotally connected at their upper ends as at 18 to suitable standards or bearings 19 ri idly mounted u on the rear ends of the pe als 12 as disclose in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The upper end of each hanger 2 is provided with an outwardly extending offset hook 21 to engage a stop or lug 22 on the lower inner face of each pawl 17to limit the upward movement of the pedals 12 and also to guide said lug 22 rearwardly to a position from which it will descend at the rear of and along a guide 23 formed on the .edge

The lug 22 on the lower inside surface of the pawl 17 rides on the side of the guide 23 on the hanger 2 adjacent the ratchet G during a downward movement of said pawl 17 to insure engagementof said pawl with said ratchet. As the downward movement is completed the rotating teeth of the ratchet 6 move the lower end of said pawl'forward until the lug 22 on the bottom of the pawl 17 is moved to the front side of the guide 23. The arcuate or curved path followed by the pawl 17 and lug 22 on the lower end thereof, during the upward or return movement of the pedal 12 will bring the said lu 22 against the front side of the guide 23, that is the side farthest from the ratchet 6, and the spring 24, mounted upon the standard 19, will engage the front of the pawl 17 to retain engaging relation of said lug 22 with said back or opposite surface of the guide 23 and also retain said lug 22 in a position to engage within the hook 21 upon comple tion of said upward or return stroke of the pedal 12 and pawl 17 thereon.

The last portion of said upward or return stroke will cause the lug 22 to be moved by said hook over the top end of the guide 23 and into a position where the operative or downward movement of the pedal 12 and pawl 17 thereon will move the lug 22 onto and along the rear side of the guide 23 adjacent the ratchet 6 and thereby insure en gagement of said pawl 17 with the teeth of the ratchet. The pawl element formed by the lug 22 is thus caused to move in an orbital path to effect the smooth engagement of the pawl with the ratchet and its disengagement therefrom, and its retractive movement without undue noise of operation.

In operation the operator places both feet on the pair of pedals. By raising one foot, or releasing the weight therefrom the spring 26 will return the released pedal 12 to the position shown in the background of Fig. 1. During such upward movement the spring 24 will retain the pawl 17 in a position where the lug 22 on the lower end thereof will be engaged by the hook 21 and carried rearwardly over the top of the guide 23 thereby permitting the pawl 17 to engage the ratchet 6 when the pedal is again depressed bv the weight of an operator.

The downward movement of either pedal 12 will cause its respective pawl 17 to engage and actuate its respective ratchet 6 and thereby propel the vehicle.

By alternately depressing alternate pedals 12 it is obvious that an approximately constant pressure may be applied to the pawls to actuate the ratchets and thereby propel the vehicle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a gravity-propelled vehicle, the combination of a body, supporting wheels for the same including a driving wheel, a ratchet attached to the driving wheel, a pawl for engagement with and disengagement from said ratchet, a pedal for actuating the pawl, and guiding means mounted on the body for engaging an element of the pawl and around which said element is caused to circulate in an orbital path, to effect the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet during its driving movement and its disengagement from the ratchet during its retractive movement.

2. In a gravity-propelled vehicle, the combination of a body, supporting wheels for the sameincluding a driving wheel, a ratchet attached to the driving wheel, a multitoothed pawl for engagement with and disengagement from said ratchet, a pedal for actuating the pawl, and guiding means mounted on the body for engaging an element of the pawl and around which said ele ment is caused to circulate in an orbital path, to effect the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet during its driving movement and its disengagement from the ratchet during its retractive movement.

3. In a gravity-propelled vehicle, the combination of a body, supporting wheelsfor the same'including a driving wheel, a ratchet attached to the driving wheel, a pawl for engagement with and disengagement from said ratchet and having a lug, a pedal for actuating the pawl, and guiding means comprising a flange mounted on the body for engaging said lug of the pawl and around which said lug is caused to circulate in an orbital path, said guiding means comprising also a hook to effect the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet during its driving movement and its disengagement from the ratchet during its retractive movement.

' 1. In a gravity-propelled vehicle, the combination of a body having supporting and driving wheels, ratchets attached to the driving wheels, pedals movably mounted on said body and adapted for alternate up and down movement, a multi-toothed pawl pivotally connected with each pedal and arranged to engage and to be disengaged from its corresponding ratchet, each of said pawls having a propelling action in its engagement with the ratchet, and having such action while the other pawl is inactive and is being retracted, a fixed guiding means for each of said pawls, each guiding means being adapted to hold its pawl against and in driving engagement with the ratchet during the rotation of the latter and to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet during its retractive and inactive movement.

5. In a gravity propelled vehicle, the combination of a body having suitable front and rear supporting wheels; a pair of longitudinally disposed pedals pivotally mounted upon the frame and extending rearwardly; a

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released and is performing its return move ment.

6. In a. gravity propelled vehicle, the combination of a body having suitable front and rear supporting wheels; a pair of longitudinally disposed pedals pivotally mounted upon the frame and extending rearwardly; a ratchet connected to each wheel; a multitoothed pawl pivotally connected to the rear of each pedal and arranged to engage one of the ratchets when its respective pedal is depressed; a guide secured to each side of the rear of the body and arranged to move its multi-toothed pawl bodily. toward and from the ratchet and retain the pawl in engaging relation with its respective ratchet when its pedal is being depressed and to prevent such engagement when the pedal is released and is performing its return movement; and means for returning the pawl to engaging relation with the ratchet when the pedal is again depressed.

7. In a gravity propelled vehicle, the combination with a body having suitable front and rear supporting wheels, of a pair of longitudinally disposed pedals pivotally connected to the body and extending rearwardly; a ratchet secured to each rear wheel; a multi-toothed pawl pivotally connected to the rear end of each pedal; a guide secured.

to each side of the rear end of the body and adapted to retain engaging relation of each pawl with its respective ratchet when its pedal is depressed and to prevent engagement of the pawl with the ratchet on the return stroke of the pedal; and a cam formed integral with each guide and adapted to return each pawl into engagement with its respective ratchet when its respective pedal is again depressed.

8. In a gravity propelled vehicle, the combination with a suitable body having suitable front and rear supporting wheels; a ratchet connected to each rear wheel; longitudinal pedals pivotally mounted upon the body; a multi-toothed pawl pivotally mounted upon the rear end of each pedal and adjacent the ratchets on the wheels; a lug on each pawl; a guide secured to each side of the rear end of the body and adapted to engage the lug on the pawls and thereby retain engaging relation of each pawl with its respective ratchet when its respective pedal is depressed and to prevent such engagement of said pawl upon the return stroke of said pedal; and a hook arranged above each guide and adapted to engage the lug and return the pawl to an engaging relation with the ratchet when the pedal is again depressed.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

RGBERT B. BROWN. 

